An amateur astronomer who discovered an asteroid earlier this year presented a model of his new discovery to Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) on Monday to share with residents of the city.
Tsai Yuan-sheng (蔡元生) and his assistant, Lin Chi-sheng (林啟生), discovered the asteroid at the Lulin Observatory on Yushan on March 20 and tentatively named it “Kaohsiung,” after his hometown.
In August, the International Astronomical Union’s Committee on Small Body Nomenclature — an international organization responsible for the naming of asteroids and comets — formally approved the designation and gave Tsai’s discovery a permanent number, “215080.”
PHOTO: CNA
It was the first asteroid discovered by an amateur Taiwanese astronomy buff to win international recognition.
The asteroid, located between Mars and Jupiter, is similar in size to Kaohsiung International Airport.
At perihelion, the closest point to the sun in its orbit, the asteroid is 350 million kilometers from the sun; and at aphelion, its most distant point from the sun, it is about 450 million kilometers from the sun.
It takes about four years for the asteroid to complete its orbit around the sun.
Tsai and Lin spotted the asteroid with the aid of highly advanced digital equipment.
Tsai said he determined that the body rotated around its own axis while circling the Sun and that its position coordinates varied each day.
“I then took photos of the object consecutively for analytical comparison and finally came to the conclusion that it was an asteroid that had never been documented before,” Tsai said.
Tsai said most larger asteroids have been discovered and only small asteroids that cannot be easily detected are left to be spotted with highly sophisticated instruments.
Tsai, 40, developed an interest in observing stars while studying at a military preparatory school as a teenager.
At the time, he was required to stand guard at night, and the long hours with nothing to do led him to fall in love with stargazing.
He later dropped out of the naval academy to pursue his hobby. He now often takes his wife and children high into the mountains to observe the stars at night.
Tsai has documented 13 asteroids, but “Kaohsiung” is the only one to have been recognized by the astronomical committee.
“I was so happy to obtain international recognition of my latest discovery and decided to name it ‘Kaohsiung’ in honor of my beloved hometown,” Tsai said.
“I also want to share my happiness in discovering the new body with all fellow Kaohsiung residents,” Tsai said at the asteroid model presentation ceremony at the city’s Gangho Elementary School.
The mayor said the discovery of the asteroid and its designation were not only the “pride of Kaohsiung” but also the “pride of Taiwan.”
Chen said the city government would step up efforts to promote astronomical education and cultivate more talent in the field, adding that she had directed the city’s Bureau of Education to allocate NT$1 million (US$31,000) annually to help finance the operation of the Gangho Elementary School’s observatory.
She also proposed that an astronomy-themed science park be established after Kaohsiung City and County merge next year.
Tsai Ching-hua (蔡清華), director of the municipal education bureau, said the discovery of the asteroid had set a good model for the city’s astronomy education and pledged to study the feasibility of setting up an astronomy theme park in the new Kaohsiung municipality.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated